I was talking to a friend the other day about how it sometimes seems that when we have busy days full of things to do, the time goes by more easily and less stressfully than when we have empty days with no set schedule. I usually prefer to have no plans that are set in stone, but sometimes when I do "run, run, run" all day long, things seem to flow magically. Like today.

We got out the door early this morning and ran a few errands before visitng my doctor for an appointment, followed immediately by a trip to the state park for a two hour "Stream Exploration" group. The park outing went better than I had hoped - the girls were on the young side, but they participated to the best of their ability and they loved wading in the stream looking for bugs and little animals. I liked it too. They made me promise when we left that we would come back again soon for more water wading, so we will!

We returned home for some quick housework, stories, a nap, and a game of Chutes and Ladders before heading to the farm for our CSA pick up. The season of bounty is upon us! The boxes are fuller and heavier now, with so much variety. The farm trip was followed by a quick dinner before Jeff and I scooted off to a meeting at our Unitarian church.

I think the reason it all flowed so well today was that I was truly invested in each thing we did. I was happy to go to the doctor because I knew my good health depended on it; I was excited to explore the stream with the girls and expose them to a new type of activity; I love going to the farm, and as I become more aware of the benefits of eating locally, I find myself more and more excited to see what's in season each week; and I was happy to journey to the church tonight. Sometimes I have to "go, go, go" all day and there's nothing terribly exciting or compelling about the things I have to do, and it becomes a drag to get through the day.

Back to eating locally: I just finished the section on "small farm organic" in The Omnivore's Dilemma and it really got my wheels spinning. Eating locally is so good for our health, our planet, our economy, and more. I can't ignore the fact that Jeff's line of work involves moving food across the country and warehousing it. The current state of America couldn't exist unless food was shipped long distances. I wonder though, what would things look like if we all ate locally? I used to dismiss that idea and say that we would be sickly because we wouldn't get all of our nutrients, that we wouldn't have a variety of foods to choose from. But now that I'm learning more about what nutrients aren't in the foods that are pesticide-grown, picked early, and stored in a cooler for months at a time, while also learning about how intensive, grass-based organic farming can produce a higher volume of food, I wonder what would happen if we all focused on a different route.

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About Me

My name is Jillian. I started this blog as a way to experiment with my camera and it's a become a nice little spot where I enjoy spending time. I'm a mother to 6 and 4 year old daughters, wife to a cool computer guy, and mama to a cuddly cat. We enjoy eating local, organic food; managing several food allergies; homeschooling with love; spending time in nature; and we love to take time each day to be creative. You can also find me over at From Scratch Club from time to time. Welcome!